1. Field of the Invention
Aspects of the present invention relate to an image forming apparatus, an image forming system, and a method to control the same, and more particularly, to an image forming apparatus, an image forming system, and a method to control the same that automatically adjusts respective counts (for example, remaining operation counts) of a plurality of jobs to reduce management and time costs and to increase a convenience of use.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, a demand for office automation devices (such as printers, scanners, digital copiers, and facsimiles) has rapidly increased in conjunction with rapidly developing office automation. Accordingly, these office automation devices are being actively developed to expand their functionality.
A multi-function printer that integrates separately used office automation devices reduces a financial burden of the user and an installation space while also performing a hybrid document output function. An image forming system, which includes a host computer and a connected multi-function printer, allows convenient use of a variety of functions of the multi-function printer.
The manager of the image forming system presets the respective maximum counts of a variety of jobs (such as fax, print, scan, and copy jobs so as to perform the fax, print, scan, and copy functions, respectively). The maximum count of each job is the maximum allowable number of operations of the job. Specifically, the maximum count of each job is set to limit the amount of use of the job (specifically, the number of operations of the job) such that the number of operations does not exceed the maximum count. Conventionally, the maximum count of every job is set to the same value. This causes inconvenience of use to users who primarily use one job alone.
When the remaining count of a job selected by the user is deficient while the selected job is performed, the selected job stops performing. Thus, the user must ask the manager to reset the remaining count of the job in order to resume the job. This provides unsatisfactory job efficiency to the user and imposes upon the manager the burden of having to reset the job count, thereby increasing management and time costs.